This year, CHF has also selected Armenian-American photographer Diana Markosian as the emerging photojournalist recipient, which will see her awarded a grant of US$5,000. The emerging photojournalist award goes to a photographer whose work demonstrates exceptional promise and who is committed to documenting a visual history of newsworthy events.

The award was created to honor Getty Images photojournalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Chris Hondros, who was killed April 20, 2011 while on assignment in Misrata, Libya. Established by Christina Piaia, Chris Hondros’ fiancée, and with the support of his family, the Chris Hondros Fund advances the work of photojournalists who espouse his legacy and vision. The fund sponsors fellowships, grants and education to raise understanding of the issues facing reporters in conflict zones.

The award was judged by a leading panel of industry experts and CHF Board members, including Getty Images Vice President for News Pancho Bernasconi, New York Times Photographer Todd Heisler, freelance photojournalist Jeff Swensen and CHF Board President Christina Piaia.

Kevin Frayer, recipient of the 2015 Chris Hondros Fund Award, comments: “As a longtime admirer of Chris’ exceptional work and his dedication to it, winning an award bearing his name is incredibly humbling. I aspire to use this opportunity to create meaningful photography that would move Chris in the same way his images reached me and so many others. I am grateful and so very proud.”

Diana Markosian, recipient of the emerging photojournalist award, remarked: “Chris encouraged me to take a chance on myself, to find my own way. I am deeply touched to receive this grant. It is a way to keep a mentor and friend’s memory and work alive.”

“Four years on, we feel honored to continue Chris’ vision: to bring shared human experiences into view,” says Christina Piaia, speaking on behalf of the Chris Hondros Fund. “We celebrate the work of his colleagues, and of photojournalists who bring the world closer to us with unyielding commitment and, often, great personal sacrifice.”

The event includes a silent auction to benefit the fund’s grant and awareness programs, providing the opportunity to bid on an extraordinary collection of photographs including past awardees Andrea Bruce, Tomas Munita, and Daniel Berehulak, as well as work by Todd Heisler, Brent Stirton, Mario Tama and John Moore. Donors need not be present to participate; the silent auction runs online until April 29, powered by Paddle8: www.paddle8.com/auctions/chrishondrosfund.

Testament, a book of Hondros’ photographs and writing spanning over a decade of coverage from many of the world’s conflicts, published last year, will be available for purchase at the event.

The CHF Board of Directors enlisted nominators to each select one photojournalist who demonstrates extraordinary qualities and commitment to photojournalism in line with the Fund’s mission. Nominators are invited to participate on the basis of their expertise, accomplishments and commitment to photojournalism. From this shortlist, the 2015 recipients were selected by the Board of Directors and freelance photojournalist Jeff Swensen, with judging taking place in New York.

Kevin Frayer bio

Kevin Frayer is an award-winning photojournalist whose work has appeared in the world’s leading news publications. Frayer has contributed images to two Pulitzer Prize finalist packages, is a winner at World Press Photo, POYi and CHIPP, and has been recognized by several photography contests.

From India’s religious festivals and its streets to the mountain cultures of western China, Frayer is drawn to capturing the vibrancy and complexity of Asia. Frayer is currently a freelance photographer working with Getty Images based in Beijing, China.

Frayer, who is Canadian, began his photojournalism career in 1991 as a young freelancer in the former Yugoslavia. He has since documented conflict in the Middle East, including the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Libya.

Frayer worked at his hometown newspaper The Winnipeg Sun then as a National Photographer with the Canadian Press based in Toronto covering news and sport. In 2003 he joined the Associated Press in Jerusalem, first basing himself in Gaza City then rising to the position of Chief Photographer for Israel and the Palestinian Territories. He then shifted to New Delhi as Chief Photographer for South Asia. In 2013, he moved to China, became a father and joined Getty Images as a contract photographer.

His work has been part of exhibitions at Visa Pour l’Image, the United Nations and the Simon Weisenthal Center and has appeared in numerous books.

Diana Markosian bio

Diana Markosian is an Armenian-American photographer whose work explores the relationship between memory and place. She received her master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism at 20. Her work has since taken her to some of the most remote corners of the world, where she has worked on both personal and editorial work. Her images can be found in publications like the New York Times, The New Yorker and Time. Markosian is a contributor to Getty Images Reportage.